The Filmmaker's Life

This episode features London-based filmmaker Shigeto Sayama, whose career spans more than 20 years directing commercials, music videos, and brand films for global clients including: Sony, Samsung, Tiffany & Co., Coca-Cola, Coach, New Balance, and more. What happens when a filmmaker steps away from a successful commercial career to pursue more personal, meaningful stories? Having worked across...

This episode features Carl "Pony" Vigil, a Navajo lighting technician, filmmaker, producer, musician, and advocate whose career spans more than 30 years in Hollywood and Indigenous media. What if the greatest impact you make in film isn't on a blockbuster set - but through the stories you choose to tell? Pony has worked on major productions including "The Avengers", "T...

This episode features filmmaker Peter Bailey - award-winning author, journalist, and director of the hit documentary series "Miami Kingpins", which debuted on Amazon Prime in 2025 and quickly reached the Top 10 as a documentary series. Peter shares insights from his dynamic career, including: how he created "Miami Kingpins" and built an audience, starting the interview series &...

The guest this week was Tom Phillips. Tom's directorial debut "Between Wars" stars Michael Imperioli and is slated for release in March 2026. Watch the trailer for "Between Wars" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mhWJ9nhAbc Writer/Producer/Director Tom Phillips began his career as a playwright and actor. For 2 seasons, he worked as an actor and director on Alec Baldwin's Master Class. He's collabor...

The guest this week was Christina Morales Hemenway. Christina has multiple feature films under her belt in the genres of comedy and fantasy. She's currently working on her fifth feature film. To watch our podcasts live, register to receive a Zoom link at https://www.filmmakersuccess.com/the-filmmakers-life-home Watch the trailer for "Bride+1" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCkBftGia...

The guest this week was Chris Hines. Chris is a film producer, marketing specialist, and master in storytelling. He has spent the past 20 years in Athens learning the business of filmmaking, learning how to raise capital and how to take your story to market. Chris’ first feature film “Small Group” won Best Picture at the 2019 International Christian Film Festival. His second feature “American Dead...

Our guest this week was the Writer/Producer/Director/Filmmaker Success Client JC Wilde. JC's first feature film "Wild Fire" can currently be seen on TUBI, Amazon Prime, Plex and Roku. She's currently in development of the narrative film "Windows of Avalon" and the documentary "SEX | GOD". Both projects explore divinity & sexuality, love & truth, freedo...

Our guest this week was the Writer/Producer/Director/Filmmaker Success Client Maria Petschnig. Maria's latest feature film "Beautiful and Neat Room" just had its world premiere at the 30th Split Film Festival in Croatia, where it received the Grand Prix award. This film was funded using strategies from Joanne Butcher's "Filmmaker Success" program. To obtain the Zoom lin...

Our guest this week was the Writer/Producer/Director Filmmaker Success Client Michelle Malley Campos. Michelle's latest film, the Taiwan/Puerto Rico co-production "Foreigner," had its world premiere at the 2025 Ourense Film Festival in Spain. The film is on the verge of distribution. To obtain the Zoom link for upcoming live interviews, you must register at The Filmmaker's Life w...

Our guest this week was Filmmaker Success Client and Documentary Filmmaker Michael Wayne. Michael's latest documentary feature film "How to Save Democracy" was funded using strategies from Joanne Butcher's Filmmaker Success Box Office S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Program. "How to Save Democracy" is an incisive and provocative film that explores the roots of democracy and its ebbs and...

Our Guest this week was writer/producer/director Shaun Mathis. Shaun moved to Atlanta in 2014 and has worked on projects that can be found on AspireTV, BET+, AppleTV, Amazon Prime, Tubi and Roku. The thriller feature film "Crazy Intent" he wrote is currently in pre-production. _______________________________________________________________Here's Shaun's IMDB https://www.imdb.com/...

Our guest this week was the Emmy Award-winning Documentary Filmmaker Success Scott Barnett. Scott's latest documentary "The Reading Reboot" reunites him with author James Patterson, with whom he produced an award-winning PBS series called "Kid Stew". "The Reading Reboot" dives into solutions for America's reading crisis amongst children. Scott is also finishin...

Our guest this week was the Grammy-nominated Filmmaker Success Client Deborah Henson-Conant. Deborah Henson-Conant (DHC) is a Grammy-nominated composer, harp innovator, and creative entrepreneur. To obtain the Zoom link for upcoming live interviews, you must register at The Filmmaker's Life webpage at https://www.filmmakersuccess.com/the-filmmakers-life-home Deborah Henson-Conant (DHC) is a Gr...

Our guest this week was film producer Matthew G. Zamias. His two latest films are in post-production: the action/thriller "Hotel Tehran" starring Liam Neeson about a group of disgraced, war torn ex-CIA operators set out to Tehran to take down a life changing score and the buddy comedy "Going there" about a woman impersonating her sister to chase an ex in Israel, but gets stuck...

Our guest this week was documentary writer, producer, director Dudley Alexis. His two latest films are "The Creole Pig: Haiti’s Great Loss", which recounts how important the Creole Pig was to Haiti but an outbreak of African swine flu resulted in the eradication of the Creole Pig population and "Edge of Hope", which highlights how climate threats are leading developers to targe...

Our guest this week was queer Miami-based Cuban artist and filmmaker Hansel Porras Garcia. His feature film "Febrero," funded by Oolite Arts won the Made in MIA Award at the 2023 Miami Film Festival. please register for the Zoom link at ⁠https://www.filmmakersuccess.com/The-Filmmakers-Life-Home⁠ Here's Hansel Porras Garcia's IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8683916/ Here's the trailer for "Febrero...

Our guest this week was film producer, film festival director and youth film program creator Marco (Mall) Molinet. Marco is a visionary producer, creator, and founder of several influential organizations in the film industry, including the Florida Film House (FFH), 1st Take Youth Film Program, Urban Film Festival (UFF), World Wide Urban Distribution (WWUD), and an executive with Urban Digital Stre...

Our guest this week was filmmaker Melissa Llewellyn. Melissa is an accomplished Producer and Line Producer with over 15 years of experience in the film industry. Her most recent projects are the ALLBLK supernatural drama TV Series "Wicked City" which is in its third season and the BET+ Original thriller "Incision".Watch the trailer for season 3 of "Wicked City" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5nl...

Our guest this week was film producer and former Sony Pictures Acquisitions Executive Daniel de Boulay. Daniel spent 5 years at Sony Pictures Entertainment as the Film Acquisitions Executive, where he was responsible for reviewing submissions of films in all stages of development. He was involved with acquiring films such as the comedy "Back on the Strip" starring Kevin Hart, Tiffany Had...

Our guest this week was holiday and horror filmmaker LazRael Lison. LazRael's has found success in polar opposite genres horror/thriller and holiday/romance. His latest film, "Finding Faith," is in post-production. It stars Paula Patton, Loretta Devine, Keith David, Stephen Bishop, Demetrius Grosse and Nadine Velazquez. To obtain the Zoom link for upcoming live interviews, you must r...

Our guest this week was documentary filmmaker Walter Schlomann. Walter tackled the topic of teenage suicide in his film "Ezra: May His Memory Be For a Blessing" and his last film "Hidden Court" was a feature length documentary about a group of 11 men from Northern Westchester, NY who, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, found a sense of community and camaraderie by playing 'prohibition bas...

Our guest this week was documentary and narrative filmmaker Deborah Richards. Deborah's first feature film, the narrative "Move Me No Mountain" is on Amazon prime and her second feature film, the documentary "Shaken & Stirred - The Story of Flair Bartending" will have its premiere in Las Vegas at the Beverly Theater and is currently available for sale. To obtain the Zoo...

Our guest this week was Creative Producer Jonathan Lia. Jonathan's 30 year career has spanned multiple genres across various platforms. Jonathan recently produced "Fly Me to the Moon" with his producing partner Scarlett Johansson under their These Pictures banner for Apple TV+ / Sony Pictures. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson and Ray Romano. Here&#39...

Our guest this week was Documentary Filmmaker Sandi DuBowski. Sandi's latest production "Sabbath Queen" was in the works for 21 years and it's not only taken film festivals around the world like Tribeca, IDFA Best of Fests, DOK Leipzig, Rio Film Festival, Palm Springs, Woodstock, Hamptons, Zurich,  and Berkeley by storm but it continues its global tour with select theatrical runs...

Our guest this week was Documentary Producer/Director Christina Kiely. In her over 25 years in the industry, Christina' s worked for networks like A&E, PBS, ABC News but, currently, she's working on multiple independent projects including the feature length documentary "Coal Country' about the largest coal mining disaster in US history and its aftermath and "Strong Girls:...